Copyright© 2008-2010
Kezar River Farm
•Alpacas have been domesticated for more than 6000 years! They come from the Altiplano, or high plateau, of the Andes.
•Alpacas are fiber animals, they do not carry burdens like camels or llamas. In pre-Columbian cultures of the Andean Plateau prime alpaca fiber was reserved for royalty-and no wonder it is beautiful!
•The alpaca’s gestation period is about 11.5 months, after which the female will give birth to one baby called a cria. The cria are generally born during the daylight hours to give them a chance to get up on their feet and have their first meal before the day cools.
•Alpacas can live quite peacefully together. Even intact males can share barns and paddocks without incident. They are quiet, inquisitive and very social. Alpacas do not challenge fences, but they will take advantage of a gate left carelessly open (yes, I do speak from experience).
•Alpaca’s soft padded feet and the fact that they do not crop grasses down to the ground makes maintaining their pastures much easier.
• Because they utilize their forage so efficiently one acre of good pasture can support 5-7 animal.
• Alpacas use communal dung piles which makes cleaning up after them a snap!
Alpaca Basics
